Consequences of Madness
by kutnerlove
Summary: Cuddy is dating Lucas and House has just been rejected as a result. A night of drunken madness throws House and Cuddy into a predicament. Once they've gone off the deep end can things work out well? What will come of thier madness?
1. The Onset of Madness

Consequences of Madness

Ch. 1: The Onset of Madness

It was Friday and Cuddy knew that she should just go home and relieve the babysitter, but the girl had said she was free until 11 that night and Cuddy sorely needed a night out. Lucas was working late again for some rich asshole who wanted his wife followed. She sighed, she wanted to have a bit of fun, but didn't very well want to do it on her own. 'What the hell' she said to herself, 'there isn't _that_ much that I couldn't handle alone.'

She gathered the weekend's paperwork into her briefcase and took her coat off the back of her chair. She'd been working too hard for too long and rationalized that she deserved a break. Cuddy climbed into her car and tossed the briefcase into the backseat before tossing her shoes into the passenger's seat and starting her car. A few drinks really couldn't hurt, she thought, pulling out of the hospital parking lot.

House was tired. It had been a long day and he was surrounded by a troupe of idiots. A group of Mormons had wandered into his office early that morning demanding that he treat a young man with symptoms of the flu and a raging bout of not wanting to conform to his parent's wishes. He had attempted to tell the morons the truth, but when they would not give up and the kid begged him for a bit of privacy from his crazy family, he had conceded and hooked the kid up to an IV, and then ordered Foreman to watch over him for the weekend.

Foreman was none too pleased, of course, but House cheerfully reminded him that he didn't have a girlfriend so that really didn't matter. In the end, House had ended up seeking refuge in the clinic where several people had barge in on him playing on his gameboy and he was forced to dole out treatment. "What a tragedy," Wilson had commented when House had sought some peace in the oncologist's office.

"Just help me get some alcohol in me and shut up," House ordered. Wilson smirked. He had wanted a friend to accompany him to the new bar/restaurant downtown anyway and had been looking to con House into going. Seeing the perfect opportunity, he packed up his work for the weekend and led his best friend down to the car, pleased with the way things were turning out.

It was just after Cuddy had downed her second Mai Tai that she heard the voice that haunted her in her dreams and while she worked. "You didn't tell me they let _administration_ in this place," House commented loudly as he and Wilson entered the building. Cuddy sighed, wondering how, in all the places in Jersey, she had managed to wind up in the same bar that House had decided to visit. Not that things hadn't been good between them up until he had discovered that she was dating Lucas…

"House," Wilson said reproachfully, coming into the sight of the somewhat tipsy Dean of Medicine. "Oh…hi, Cuddy. Didn't expect to see you here."

"Didn't expect to run into you two either," she replied, hoping she didn't sound bitter.

"Oh, so it's just the higher class hookers that don't play nice," House commented, annoying her further.

"What are you doing here?" she asked after motioning for another drink.

"Just unwinding…where's Lucas?" Wilson asked politely.

"Yeah, where is your love nugget? Or did you get a babysitter for him too?"

"House!" Wilson warned, but Cuddy brushed him off.

"No…my boyfriend is working. He's on a big case and couldn't come out with me," she told them.

"So you're drinking alone?" Wilson asked.

"You should join us…we were just saying we wished someone would toss a drunk girl in skimpy clothes into our night out," House added.

"I'm not drunk," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I just needed to have a few drinks."

"You should join us," Wilson offered. "Drinking alone isn't much fun."

"I don't know," she said. "I should probably get back to Rachel."

"The babysitter clearly isn't leaving early or you wouldn't have been here as soon as you left work," House pointed out."

"She's off at eleven, but…"

"Then you're staying," Wilson told her. "I'll lay off the booze tonight and take you home. You probably shouldn't be driving now, anyway."

Cuddy sighed, not seeing a way out of having Wilson drive her back as she started on the third alcoholic beverage of the hour. "Alright," she said slowly, "But we're not talking about my…relationship."

House held up his hands in mock defeat, but there was a glint in his eye. Wilson looked him over warily before signaling a waiter. "Three please."

"I'll have a table in fifteen minutes," the man told him. "Feel free to have a drink while you wait." Wilson sighed as House ordered a double bourbon and Cuddy took another drink of her Mai Tai. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long night.

Three hours, twelve drinks and a dinner later, Wilson was feeling the effects of such a situation. Both Cuddy and House were properly plastered, having five drinks more after they were seated each. Wilson had broken down after the appetizer and ordered two for himself, determined to stay fairly sober to help his friends, but not willing to suffer them sober. They had (thankfully) steered clear of the topic of Lucas, focusing instead on the people they worked with and on other non-threatening topics.

Wilson, as their colleague and friend had been chatted about for the last half hour, and with a few drinks in him, had taken most of their teasing fairly well. He excused himself to the bathroom as they finished their dessert, deeming it safe to leave them alone for ten minutes while he collected himself to drive home. By the time he got back to the table, however, they were both gone, leaving him with the check. "Where the hell did they go?" he questioned a passing waiter, who just shrugged.

Wilson, more than annoyed with the pair of them, waited for the check and discovered that they had left, clinging to each other and laughing obscenely just a moment after he left the table. Cuddy's car was missing from the parking lot, though his car was untouched, and he sighed, not enjoying the fact that he was their only chaperone and he had lost them. He checked his apartment, then Cuddy's house, before finally giving up on them, assuming them in a hotel somewhere, though they were both completely inebriated. He went back to his apartment and crawled into bed, leaving the door unlocked for House. H was thoroughly worn out from his day and they were both adults, he reasoned.

House and Cuddy had left the restaurant, as the waiter had relayed, as soon as Wilson was out of sight. They had been giggling loudly about Wilson for the last half hour and both were feeling the urge to escape the confines of the restaurant. "You wanna get a room?" House asked her as she slid behind the wheel of her car.

Cuddy snorted loudly. "For what?" she asked, fumbling with her keys. Before she had even looked up at him, he was kissing her. She didn't hesitate at all before she was returning his passion with fervor. They stayed locked in that embrace for nearly five minutes, breaking away finally to breathe. "Ok…" she told him, putting the car in gear.

Ten minutes later they were stumbling into a posh hotel room, not bothering to turn the lights on. House's hand was up Cuddy's shirt, working on unfastening her bra and hers were tugging at his jeans. They fell upon the king sized bed in a tangle of arms and legs laughing louder than ever. Once they managed to undress, House pushed her up into the middle of the bed and climbed in beside her. "I've wanted this for a long time," he told her quietly as she kissed his stubbled cheek.

"So have I," she replied, completely candid with the help of the alcohol. Their mouths clashed together for a few moments as they tried to find a rhythm and after a bit, they fell into sync. Cuddy moved on top of him to straddle his straining member, letting him slip into her waiting warmth as his tongue explored her mouth. The both moaned loudly at the contact, neither moving for a moment as his length stretched her. Obviously Lucas wasn't as well endowed as House.

Cuddy began rocking back and forth after a moment, placing gentle kisses against House's lips and chin as his hands cupped her swaying breasts. Their slow pace was teasing him in such a way that he couldn't think straight and he squeezed her breasts a bit harder than he meant to. She whimpered a bit and he brought her down flush against his body, whispering apologies as his hands slid down to her hips. She kissed him deeply and they picked up their pace.

Soon, the rutting pair were slamming together furiously, each desperate to find release as the other tried to push them toward the edge of oblivion. House gripped Cuddy's hips as she bounced down onto him, thrusting up and impaling her on his length. She came first as he pushed in farther and farther, taking her breath away. As her inner muscles spazmed around him, House found his own release, spilling his seed deep within her as she clung to him desperately.

They fell asleep shortly after, neither possessing the strength to do more than climb under the covers of the huge bed. House held Cuddy close to his chest that night, feeling more satisfied than he had ever felt after such a coupling. Cuddy snuggled closer, breathing in the scent that she had often dreamed about being smothered in as House held her.


	2. Madness in the Morning

Madness in the Morning

The first thing that crossed Cuddy's mind when she awakened from her booze induced sleep was the realization that she was not in her own bed. She cracked one eye open a fraction to survey her surroundings and discovered that she was in a very ritzy hotel. The man whose arms encircled her grunted softly in her sleep as she tried to sit up and she vaguely wondered when Lucas had joined her the previous evening. Things were very blurry and when she tried too hard to remember the previous evening's events, a blinding pain filled her head.

The Dean of Medicine gingerly rubbed her temples, liking the feeling of those arms around her. Lucas wasn't usually a cuddler, she thought with a sigh, but this was nice. Just before she fell back into the merciful warmth of sleep a question shook her to the core, causing her to shoot up in bed and knock her bedmate into the floor. "Who's with Rachel?" Cuddy fairly yelled, regretting her pitch as her ears rang in pain. A pained groan issued up from the floor and she felt a bit guilty for waking her lover in such a manner.

"Rachel? How should I know?" came the answer from a tousled man whom she recognized all too well as none other than Greg House. Cuddy's eyes grew as large as saucers as she took in the information that she had been cuddling with House…naked no less. She clutched the sheet and comforter to her chest, suddenly self conscious as House heaved himself up onto the bed once more, not at all ashamed of his nudity.

"HOUSE?!?" she shrieked once more, dropping the sheet to clutch her head as he did the same. He recovered first, much to her dismay and smirked as he openly stared at her exposed breasts. "Why were we in bed together, House?" she demanded, trying her hardest to be calm about her situation.

"I don't remember much," he said with a shrug, "But you look like you had fun…"

Cuddy scowled at him, pulling the covers back over her breasts with one hand and smoothing her hair with the other. "Who's watching my child?" she wondered, mostly to herself.

"Already told you I don't know that one. Let's get something to eat and I'll probably remember what happened before we passed out after what had to be some WILD sex." Cuddy didn't find his eyebrow waggling nearly as sexy in that moment as she would have normally done. Worry about her baby clouding all other thoughts.

"I've got to call home," she told him, "Don't look at my ass when I get up."  
He rolled his eyes. "What are you so worried about?" he asked. "I get a decent enough view of your goods with all the tight, skimpy outfits you wear to work anyway. And we just woke up naked together…there's a good chance I saw you naked last night."

Cuddy sighed and picked up the phone. House hobbled toward the bathroom, a bit annoyed that she had chosen to ignore his last few comments. He took a piss, washed his face, and brushed his teeth cheerfully as Cuddy checked the status of her baby situation. She was just hanging up when he returned to the bed.

"What's going on?" he asked, really concerned when he saw her face was ashen.

"Lucas spent the night last night; I just talked to him. Rachel's fine, but he was apparently really worried about me. I didn't tell him about our…predicament," she told House.

"Ah well…is he ever going to find out?"

"I don't know," she sighed, her head falling into her hands. House placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and she flinched ever so slightly. He swallowed hard, preparing to remove their point of contact when she suddenly turned and thrust herself into his arms. He pulled her close to his chest, stroking her back as she cried. "I'm sorry," Cuddy told him when she could handle herself once more. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine," he cut her off.

"House…it's not that I don't…want you, but I'm with him now. You were gone for six months and we weren't really 'together' at all before that. I…I don't know what to say," she confided.

"Well something happened last night and sooner or later we'll have to deal with it," he replied, hiding his disappointment. "I have feelings for you Cuddy and I know you feel something for me. Sometime, somewhere this is all going to come out…if not last night, our feelings, anyway."

"Maybe that's true," she agreed, "But I don't know what I can do about that now."

"So you want to be with him?" House asked.

"I want to see where this goes," she corrected him. "I want to know if I'm capable of having a relationship."

"You could try that with me, you know."

She sighed and looked him over sadly. "I know…but I can't just tell him to leave right now. He's stable. You could change your mind and then where would I be? I know he'll stick around, House."

House sighed and nodded, then started getting dressed.

"So you agree that we shouldn't talk about this?" she asked to clarify.

"I'm not going to go telling everyone we work with that we had sex," he told her. "I'm not an idiot who doesn't care about feelings."

She nodded, feeling badly for having had bad thoughts about him. "What about Wilson?" she asked.

"He's my best friend. He has to know…"

She sighed, understanding House's logic. Of course he would need someone to talk to, especially if he was truly interested in her. She almost wished that he didn't have anyone because she herself couldn't confide in anyone. Of course there was always Wilson, but of course he was House's confidant and not hers…they dressed in silence. She wanted to offer to give him a ride home, but he had already called a cab.

Cuddy was tired and the events of the morning were enough to make her want to curl up and sleep. She resigned, however to facing the music with Lucas. She got herself together and climbed into her car as House's cab drove away.


	3. Love's Madness and Blindness

Love's Madness and Blindness

Cuddy felt a bit guilty as she walked into her house to find Lucas feeding Rachel. She sighed as she dropped her purse onto the counter, not meeting his eyes yet, not wanting to let him know that she had been in the wrong just yet. She hoped that the smell of alcohol and sex had been washed off with her shower, though she really couldn't tell as her senses were dulled by the hangover she was experiencing. When she finally raised her eyes, Lucas's piercing gaze was staring through her.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" he asked none too gently. The pitch of his voice shook her senses and had her clutching her head in pain. "Sorry," he continued in a softer tone, looking a bit concerned.

Cuddy sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I drank myself silly and checked into a hotel for the night. I really should have taken the bus home, but I…well I don't know what came over me…"

Lucas waved her apology off, however and gave her a smile she didn't feel like she deserved. "It's ok. We all need to cut loose every once in a while. I just wish I'd been there too. It must have been a bit lonely to drink by yourself…and I know you get horny when you're drunk." She searched his face for a clue that said he knew what she had done, but when she couldn't find one she just nodded.

"I wasn't all that horny last night," she lied. "I just passed out and probably lost all the appetite I'll have for the next two days."

Her boyfriend gave her a small smile and wiped the oatmeal off of Rachel's face. "Why don't you go lie down, I'll finish up with the oatmeal monster and settle her into the play pen," he offered.

Feeling more than a little guilty that she had left her child to fate the previous night she placed a soft kiss into her hair and made her way toward the bedroom. She kicked off her shoes and was in the process of undressing when Lucas entered the room. She gave him a small smile as she tossed her jacket over the back of a chair and started unbuttoning her shirt. Lucas watched as she removed the thin material of her blouse and unhooked her bra. The lacy bra joined her shirt on the floor and she slid the zipper of her skirt down, before pushing it over her hips. He was a bit surprised to find her completely nude after the skirt fell away.

"You didn't wear underwear yesterday?" he asked, eyebrows almost lost in his hair.

She blushed furiously, realizing she must have left them at the hotel. "Of course I did. I had a shower at the hotel and I must have left them somewhere," she replied.

"Ah…"

"Are you going to join me for a nap?" she asked desperately, hoping to distract him from the fact that if one is alone in a hotel room, it's hard to lose their underwear. He nodded and moved toward her to caress her curvy body. She met his kiss fiercely and the fell upon the bed shortly thereafter. He entered her slowly, taking his time to thoroughly tease both of her breasts. She gasped as he filled her with his flesh, not feeling nearly as good as House had, she remembered vaguely. She shook memories of House out of her mind and focused instead on the sensations Lucas was creating as he licked her pulse point.

As her boyfriend picked up his pace, flashes of the previous evening filled her senses, causing her to gasp as she recalled all the feelings that accompanied her tryst with House. As Lucas moaned her name she heard House's voice urging her to come for him. Every thrust of his manhood brought back sensations of House's larger form covering her and filling her completely. His hands became House's hands exploring her breasts and stomach, lifting up her legs and hooking them over his shoulders as he pounded relentlessly into her quivering core. His lips were House's lips drinking in the cries of ecstasy as she clenched around him. And they changed positions with Lucas behind her, spreading her legs farther, but it was House she felt assaulting her dripping pussy, House's hands gripping her hips as he pistoned in and out of her, House's mouth on her shoulder. As she came again, she remembered House biting her shoulder and wondered if Lucas could see a bruise because she certainly felt it.

Lucas finally came into the condom on his member and pulled out of her and she turned over onto her back, hoping to hide any marks that House could have given her. She was asleep before her boyfriend even wrapped his arms around her curvy form again, dreaming of the man that would not let her have any peace.

"Are you sure you slept with her this time?" Wilson asked his friend. House was making eggs and sent a scathing look in his direction.

"Of course I'm sure. I wasn't nearly as plastered as you seem to think I was. She was the one that couldn't keep her hands to herself…I just didn't complain.

Wilson snorted and raised one eyebrow. "I'm sure leering at her cleavage isn't anything at all in the way of a sexual advance," he said sarcastically.

"Fine, whatever. The point is we did have sex…a few times. And she doesn't want me. I don't think I'll be able to get her away from that idiot very well if she wasn't wooed by my superior sexual prowess."

"You said that she didn't think you were reliable. Again, I think that's what you should work on."

"Yes, and we all know how that turned out last time I tried to act responsibly. I offered to babysit her kid and discovered that she was sleeping with that bastard!" House pointed out.

"She's dating him as well as sleeping with him," Wilson said. "But that shouldn't really stop you if you're really interested in her. It's been a game of cat and mouse for years now…you're not seriously going to give up when it's getting good, are you?"

"You mean now that I've gotten to the cream, I'll make like a kitty cat and haul ass back home? In this sense I mean home as in a hooker's breasts."

"No. I just want both of you to be happy, and I've got a feeling she wants you as much as you want her, so it's best if you just get it on and start dating. When Lucas is out of the picture maybe I can have a semblance of a normal life. It's odd to think I'm over forty and counseling my best friend about how best to get back into the pants of his crush."

"That says something about you," House informed him. "I'm trying to figure out a way to date Cuddy and here you are all focused on the sex!"

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Yes and I'm sure you're only interested in her mind."

"It's a very sexy mind," House assured him. "Now all I have to do is find a way to break them up without it looking like I've broken them up. If she thinks I'm scheming she'll never fall into my arms professing her love to me in front of the entire hospital."

"Have you got any plans yet?" Wilson asked.

"Nope…"


	4. Mad about a Mommy

**A/N: Sorry that it's been a week. I had planned on trying to go along with the show in terms of the Cuddy/Lucas relationship so this could be kind of like a background, but of course they've gone and made things difficult on the show. I'll try to update this as regularly as possible from here on out.**

Mad about a Mommy

When Cuddy walked into the hospital on Monday morning she fully expected to find House waiting on her surrounded by a group of her employees. When she didn't immediately suffer the embarrassment of having the entire hospital know she'd been unfaithful to her boyfriend with House, she relaxed a bit and got her day started. It wasn't until lunch did she see him and she would have kept walking if Wilson hadn't stopped her.

"Have you got a minute?" he asked politely, typical Wilson whom she couldn't deny when he looked so sincere. No wonder he kept women happy even after they were divorced or broken up, she thought to herself as she nodded. "I know you know that I know about you and House," he started and her eyes widened at his use of Housian language. "But I don't want you to feel weird. I just want to see both of you happy and I want what's best for you as you're my friends."

"Thank you," she said a bit uncomfortably as a blonde nurse passed them, giving Wilson a once over. "You really don't have to worry, though. This isn't your fault and House is being very mature about the situation."

"I know it's not my fault," he said with a bit of a snort. "You two were the only people there…I assume. I tried to cattle prod the two of you into behaving and obviously you two were no match for me. You guys have the full weight of the responsibility as you're both adults."

Cuddy was blushing now and she pulled Wilson further into the corner to avoid any more stares. "Look, I know he's your best friend, but I'm with Lucas now. Lucas doesn't need to know about the other night and things can go on normally, as if we never even went out that night. I'm tired of waiting on him to grow up…Lucas was already there."

Wilson nodded grimly. "I understand. I still think you should give House a chance, but I'll respect your wishes."

"Thanks. I knew one of the two of you would be hard to deal with, I just assumed that one would be House."

Wilson frowned. "Yes, well not everything happens exactly as you expect it to," he informed her before walking back into the cafeteria where House was eating his ice cream.

Days went by without incident, and then days turned into weeks. House was cordial to her, sometimes even joking again, but he didn't make any inappropriate advances. He solved three tough cases and did so without use of too much illegal procedure, for which she was grateful. Work was going very well for her and she couldn't complain about her home life either as Lucas was blissfully unaware of anything that she may have felt guilty for. He played with Rachel, kissed her sweetly, and even made love to her the same way, but she found that her heart just wasn't interested in him the way it had been to begin with. She forced herself to remain strong, however, and continued her life as normal.

Cuddy was just starting to get comfortable again when she discovered that she was two weeks late for her period. At first she panicked, wondering if House had gotten her pregnant, but then she reasoned that she had been under an extraordinary amount of stress over the past month. She tried to relax and tell herself that nothing had changed and she refused to take a pregnancy test. When she came home the night after she realized that she had missed for two weeks, Lucas greeted her with dinner.

She let her problems slip away for a while as they ate in the light of a single candle. He had gotten a babysitter for Rachel and prepared a romantic dinner. They made love and she slipped into another world as she experienced an orgasm with him for the first time in nearly two months. "Oh…Hou…Ah!" she paused in her cry when she realized that HIS name was on the tip of her tongue. It was one thing to think about him and entirely another to call out his name. She felt fear in the pit of her stomach as he finished and tossed the condom into the trashcan beside her bed. She could only hope that he hadn't heard her slip.

Cuddy was once again fortunate as he seemed to ignore her cries that had almost culminated into an incriminating squeal. She lay beside Lucas that night wondering what she was going to do about her situation. She wanted to have a steady relationship with Lucas, but her mind was completely fixated on House and his lack of interest in her only served to spur her on. She had always been in love with him, but things were getting out of hand now. After a lot of tossing and turning, she managed to fall into a fitful sleep.

The next day, she hesitantly purchased a pee stick from the store and stashed it in her office. She couldn't bring herself to take it however and she continued to worry about the implications of being pregnant, let alone by her partner in cheating. Another week went by and she became more and more tired. Two weeks after she bought the pregnancy test, she finally got up the nerve to use it after emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet for the third morning in a row. The pink plus sign nearly stopped her heart.


	5. Maddening Dilemma

Maddening Dilemma

Cuddy sighed and hung up the phone in her office. She turned back to the stack of paperwork that needed her signature. She had pulled a few favors to get a few tests done off the book and her pregnancy had been confirmed. She was now almost eight weeks pregnant and still hadn't let anyone in on the secret, though it was almost too much for her to handle alone. Her major concern was who the father of her child was. Cuddy didn't know whether to pray that it was Lucas or wish it was House. The latter was more possible and she didn't know how she felt about that either.

As she sifted through papers, her mind was a thousand miles away at the posh hotel with Greg House. He had been a bit intoxicated and hadn't used protection. Lucas on the other hand always used a condom and while there was a chance that one of them had broken, there was a greater chance that House had sent his soldiers right up into her egg. She worked diligently to get her work done, then decided to give herself a break for lunch when all the papers had been given to her assistant.

Much to her chagrin, House and Wilson were at a table with the only available seats. She grabbed lunch and decided to go back to her office, but Wilson stopped her before she could get to the door. "Would you like to have lunch with us?" he asked in his sweetest voice. She could tell he was using all of his charm to lure her and she was, like every other woman on the planet, bound to agree to anything. She cautiously followed him back to the booth where House nodded in greeting.

"How have you been?" Wilson asked her once she had settled in beside him. "I haven't seen you out and about much in the last few weeks.

"Busy. A lot of stuff on my plate," she said as non-chalantly as she could manage.

"How are things with Lucas?" House asked rather politely. Cuddy flushed darker than the crimson jacket she wore.

"Things are good," she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"Ah…any plans for the holiday?" he continued.

"Nope," she said rather quickly. "Not really." She filled her mouth with tuna salad in an attempt to deter him from asking further questions as her heart was screaming at her to tell him that she might be carrying his child. She wanted to yell out that she would be going to see a doctor in the maternity ward to prepare for her child's birth, but the logical part of her kept stuffing her mouth to keep this information inside her.

Wilson was looking at her curiously, and House had gone back to eating his pizza and she thankfully was able to eat quickly and excuse herself. "I'll see you guys at the Christmas party if not before then," she told them with a quick wave. "Lots of paperwork to get through." Wilson accepted this but when he turned back around to House, the diagnostician had a look in his eye that suggested otherwise.

"What's up?" he asked curiously.

"She's pregnant and I think the baby is mine," House told him quietly.

"WHAT!?!" Wilson nearly exploded.

"Keep your voice down," House instructed. "I found out that Cuddy's preggers."

"How?"

"A guy in the lab owes me a favor…anyway, I'm pretty sure it's mine. Lucas isn't old enough to produce sperm yet…"

"House, be serious. If she is pregnant, it's probably his."

"There's a chance it's not."

"Are you so impressed with your own sexual prowess that you think you got her pregnant the one time you had sex with her?" Wilson asked his best friend.

"We didn't use protection. I'm pretty sure she does with Lucas."

"How could you possibly know that?" Wilson wanted to know.

"I haven't exactly been keeping my feelings under wraps…"

"You broke into her house?"

"More like let myself in without her knowing it," House corrected. "I know, I know…just don't say anything. There were a few condom wrappers in the trashcan and I can only assume that was from her and Lucas…unless she really is a slut."

"Oh my god…if Cuddy's pregnant…"

"That baby's mine," House finished.

"What are you going to do? She obviously isn't going to volunteer the information," Wilson pointed out. "How are you going to explain that you know she carries the fruit of your loins without revealing that you've been spying on her?"

"Well first off I'm going to stop telling you things," he said standing. Wilson followed him to the elevator without a word.

"Sorry…I'm just excited. This is HUGE, House!"

"Yes, I know…she said that already."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Do you actually have a plan?"

"No…but sooner or later she'll start to show. And then I'll be able to causally mention her state. Maybe she'll be able to get a paternity test done after three months."

"Do you think Lucas knows?"

"About us?"

"About the baby. She couldn't have told him about you guys if she wanted to stay with him, and they're obviously still together."

"I don't know," House admitted. "We'll just have to find out."

Cuddy was nearly three months into her pregnancy when Lucas found out. No one else had guessed, as far as she could tell, but he noticed the slight swelling in her abdomen and she was forced to tell him that she was with child. "This is so great!" he exclaimed. "I want to marry you, Lisa."

She sighed, knowing that she just couldn't do something so horrible to both him and House without warning them a bit first. "Look, I wanted to wait until I could get a paternity test done to tell you this, but…I slept with House. That night that I stayed gone all night. We were both drunk and…"

Lucas cut her off there. "So…is it his baby?" She couldn't stand seeing the pain in his eyes, but she shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Do you want it to be?" She shrugged again and he stormed out.

Cuddy didn't talk to him for two days and when he came back he was not nearly as loving as he had been. She had been crying for those two days, which seemed to soften his heart a little. "I'll stay and help you until we find out what's what, but we're going to have to seriously talk about this…I can't believe you slept with him after all he's put you through…I thought we had something."

"Lucas, I…"

"I don't want to talk about this right now…let's just get the tests done. Does House know?"

"No."

"Good. He can find out if it turns out to be his…"


	6. House's Medical Madness

House's Medical Madness

Cuddy knew she should have been more relieved that she had told someone about her condition, and she was to a certain extent, but she felt even worse about keeping it from House. She felt like she was betraying him by letting Lucas know and not saying anything to him. It was just as likely, if not more, his child as Lucas's and she knew that all too well. She was so focused on that that she almost forgot about the guilt she felt about sleeping with him in the first place. Lucas was none too pleased with that revelation, but he had come back, thankfully. She didn't want to lose him, even if it wasn't his child…House still hadn't proven that he actually wanted her and she was sure that no matter the outcome, Lucas would be a good father.

The Dean of Medicine arrived at the hospital early the morning after Lucas returned so she could prepare for a meeting with the Board of Trustees. She was heading up to the meeting room when she ran into the Head of Diagnostic Medicine himself. "Oh, sorry," she said with a blush worthy of a school girl.

House looked at her curiously, but didn't make any snide remarks. "'S all right," he replied. "Where are you going?"

"Board meeting," she told him with a sigh, straightening her files. "We've got some budgeting to discuss."

"Interesting stuff," he said sarcastically. "We should probably talk later. You going to take lunch?"

"Erm…yeah…it'll probably be late though. One ok?" She was more nervous than she let on, but hid it very well considering. Could he have found out, she wondered. She shook the thought out of her head.

"Ok. I'll see you in your office." He walked away after that without another word. She was somewhat surprised, but decided that their little chat could wait. She made it to the meeting room a few moments later, just before the trustees started filing in.

"Good morning, everyone," she started, butterflies taking up residence in her belly for no reason that concerned the meeting.

"She's meeting me for lunch at one," House informed Wilson as he flopped down on the Oncologist's couch. Wilson looked up, a bit surprised.

"Did you tell her you know about the baby?"

"No and I'm not going to tell her. There isn't any good way to explain that you've been spying on a woman," House pointed out.

"So what's this lunch about?"

"I'm going to try and prove to her that I'm a responsible adult capable of a mature relationship."

"Oh is that all?" Wilson said, rolling his eyes. "How are you going to manage that in one lunch?"

"I'm working on that. You'll get the full report after it happens."

"If you were any more conniving I'd have to turn you in, you know."

"You would not…I'm your best friend."

"I'm your only friend."

"So."

"Never mind. Good luck, House."

"I'll see you at two or so."

House headed straight for his office after leaving Wilson to wonder about how things were going to go. As much as he love his best friend, he also loved messing with him and testing him. Wilson was the only person he really trusted, though, so he was fairly certain that the oncologist would be patient. He was met in the diagnostic office by three frantic looking fellows. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"New patient. Forty-one year old female, no history of heart problems, no history of any problems, bleeding from her nose and rectum. Chase has her in surgery to try and stop the bleeding. She's also presenting with paranoia," Taub told him.

"She says her husband is out to kill her," Thirteen added.

"Which he very well could be," Foreman countered. "So I don't think we should let him into her hospital room."

"Once Bloody Mary gets out of the OR get the full story. And one of you should talk to the hubby. Taub, you do that. Foreman is against him and Thirteen probably has the hots for him. Give her a full work up and report to me when you're done. I'll be in the office until one." His team dispersed and he headed into his office to wait for lunch to roll around. His patient was probably being poisoned by her husband, but he'd have to wait for those results. For the present he needed to work on what he'd say to Cuddy at lunch.

Cuddy looked up from her work when House entered the office. He looked comfortable and she didn't quite know how to take that. With so much floating around in her head she couldn't help but just blurt out what was on her mind. "HouseI'mpregnantanditmightbeyours."

"What?" He was a bit taken aback by her abrasive delivery. He hadn't been prepared at all for her to just shout the truth at him, so his surprise was completely real.

"I'm pregnant and the baby might be yours," she said more slowly, not meeting his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. Three months now."

"Are…are you going to have a paternity test done?"

"Of course. It's scheduled for next Tuesday…I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but…well it's hard."

He cleared his throat. "Ah…I, I understand. Look…let me know if you need anything," he told her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder for a moment. She looked up at him and he knew he wouldn't be able to try and deceive her. He simply patted her awkwardly and walked out. Cuddy was dumbfounded that he was reacting so strongly to the news. She didn't even think about how he might take it. With a sigh, she watched him walk away, wondering what would happen next.


	7. Madness, Anger and Insanity

Madness, Anger, and Insanity

"I can't believe you already told him," Lucas said, annoyed. He and Cuddy had had dinner after putting Rachel in bed. Cuddy worked late and so he had done most of Rachel's caretaking after five. She was tired of the entire pregnancy charade and had simply told him that House knew, much to her surprise, he wasn't at all sad, he was pissed.

"Well the test is tomorrow, it's not like he wouldn't find out soon enough," she pointed out. "He wasn't just going to give up his DNA without a few questions."

"Couldn't you have somehow stolen it?" Lucas asked.

"No. I have some morals, Lucas. I don't just go around taking DNA without consent."

"Well the father of your baby would…whichever one of us it is…"

Cuddy sighed. "I don't really want to talk about this right now, Lucas…I've worked all day and I just want to go to bed." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Working is the only thing you did, right?"

"What are you asking?" she demanded, fully awake once more.

"Well you cheated on me once with that loser…"

"Thanks," she said tearfully. "I mess up once and you keep reminding me…do you think I want to be in this situation?"

"I think you don't mind being here. This way you get both of our attention until you can find out which of us is going to be bound to you for life."

"For hating House so much, you're a hundred times worse," she told him as the first tear escaped down her cheek. "Get out of my house. I'll call you with the results and if the baby is yours, you can start paying child support."

Lucas said nothing else as he collected his things. He closed the door behind him just as she broke down. Cuddy let the flood gates open and tears poured down her face. She was tired of being confused, tired of being tired. After almost an hour she pulled herself together enough to put the empty plates in the dishwasher and turn it on. She turned out the lights in her living room and made her way toward the bedroom in the dark. She didn't even bother undressing before she collapsed into bed.

Cuddy didn't go into work until half an hour before her paternity test was scheduled. She made sure Rachel's sitter could stay until five and took a quick shower before reluctantly going to PPTH. All through the procedure she wondered how things would turn out. She didn't exactly know what to hope for; House was a kid himself, and Lucas had shown his true colors of the previous evening's dinner. She went back to her office to wait on the results, which she was assured would be disclosed to her as soon as they were confirmed. She locked herself up and tried to concentrate on work, but found it hard to keep on the task. Just as she was about to give up and take a nap on her couch, the phone rang.

The Dean of Medicine was afraid for the first time about what the phone call was going to be about. It was possible that the results of her paternity test were back, but she dared not get her hopes up. As the phone rang again, she steeled herself for bad news. "Dr. Cuddy?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yes. Can I help you?"

"I've got the results of your paternity test here with me, would you like me to tell you now, or do you want to come see for yourself?" the lab technician asked.

Cuddy shivered, wondering what was going to happen when she finally knew the truth. "I'll come get the results," she said, her voice wavering slightly. She hung up the phone and slipped back into her stilettos. Thoughts raced around her head frantically and she couldn't seem to make any sense of them…she wanted everything to go back to the way it had been. She didn't want to have to deal with the reality of possibly being the mother of an unwanted child. "No," she said aloud to herself. "I want this baby. It's not unwanted."

With a few deep breaths, she steeled herself once more and walked out into the busy world of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. She ignored the buzz of movement around her as she made her way toward the elevator. The doors opened and she found herself stepping inside. It was the closest thing to an outer body experience that she imagined she was ever likely to have.

The blonde girl who had phoned Cuddy with the news of her ready results smiled in greeting. "Here you are, Dr. Cuddy. And congratulations!" Cuddy smiled weakly as she accepted the file from the pixie-like girl in front of her. She walked swiftly back to the elevator to find Wilson holding the door for her. She swallowed hard as she took in his welcoming smile.

"Hey. How are you?"

"Not great."

"The results?" he asked, nodding his head toward the file in her hands.

"Yes. The truth is in my hands."

"Have you opened it yet?"

"No."

"Would you like to open it in my office?" he asked kindly. Cuddy looked him over. He was her friend, of course. They had worked together for years and had been fairly close for as long, but he was also House's friend. House who was quite possibly the father of her unborn child. House who probably didn't want anything to do with the child even if it was his. But Wilson was the best option she had so she nodded silently. She only prayed that he would understand her predicament and give her the understanding shoulder she would need, whatever the outcome.

The elevator seemed exceptionally slow as it made its way up to Wilson's floor. He took her elbow and gently led her outside and down the hall once the machine came to a stop. She couldn't exactly look at him, but knew that he must be smiling, trying to comfort her. For half a moment she wondered why the baby couldn't be Wilson's, but then she realized that that outcome would be even more problematic and more encompassing for everyone who knew the situation.

Wilson led her to the couch and sat down with her. "Are you ready?" he asked. She looked into his eyes and found the support she needed. Once again she nodded wordlessly and looked down at the file in her hands. She slowly opened the folder and looked at the report contained within. She exhaled sharply as she took in the results and looked up at Wilson with tears in her eyes. She handed him the file and watched as he read over the result.

98% DNA match with Gregory House. She was carrying House's baby. At least it was over; she rationalized as she let herself fall apart in Wilson's arms. He ran a hand over her back and whispered sweet nothings until she was once again calm. "House is going to be happy, you know," he said soothingly. She looking into Wilsons' dark eyes and hoped he was right.


	8. Madness in Silence

Madness in Silence

Cuddy spent all night wondering how she was going to tell House, the man that she had been in love with since med school and the bane of her existence, that he was the father of her unborn child. He was certainly not going to be as cooperative as she imagined most soon-to-be fathers were, but she could only hope that he would be happy on some level. Wilson seemed to think he would be, but she had essentially closed him out three months ago after the one night they had spent together in carnal bliss. She left a message on Lucas's answering machine telling him that he never had to come near her again as the baby wasn't his and focused all of her energy on taking care of Rachel.

The Dean of Medicine presented her baby sitter with a new schedule that had added more time for her to spend with Rachel. Cuddy wanted to get Rachel interested in the prospect of a baby, though the toddler had only recently turned two and started learning to see the world outside herself. She wanted to spend more time with her daughter and the unborn baby that would be added to the family in six month's time so she had planned to stay at home until 10 a.m. and work until 5, gossips be damned. The morning after discovering the baby's paternity had been hardest as she knew that if she didn't deliver the news to House, Wilson would.

Incidentally, the first person Cuddy came across upon entering the hospital was none other than the oncologist, himself. "Can we talk?" he asked, walking toward her office with her.

"If that's what it'll take to keep you from making a scene."

"I'm not going to make a scene, Cuddy. I just want to make sure you're ok," he assured her as the slipped into the privacy of her office. She locked the door behind them and put her briefcase on her desk before facing him fully.

"I'm ok, really. I just…I'm going to need some time to work things out. Lucas walked out the other day and I can't say I'm totally over that," she confided.

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"You could help me out by keeping your mouth closed when you're around House. I know he's your best friend, but I'm not exactly ready to give him the good news…"

"I think you should tell him soon."

"I will, just give me a bit."

"Cuddy, I know this is…traumatic to say the least, but it's also a miracle. You tried for almost a year to get pregnant! Now you've got the chance to be a mother."

"I'm already a mother," she countered. "Rachel is as much my daughter as this baby is mine."

"I know. I just thought you'd be happy about finally getting to experience pregnancy," Wilson said gently.

"I am…but it's not exactly a normal circumstance, is it?"

Wilson sighed. "I'm sorry. You're going through a lot, I know. I just want what's going to be best for all of you. If you need me, you know where I am…"

He turned to leave, but Cuddy stopped him. "Wilson?" He looked over his shoulder at her, not sure what to expect. "I'm sorry. You're a great friend…thanks."

"No problem," he replied with a smile. He gave her a quick hug and left her to start her day. She sighed, realizing that the hormones were already kicking in.

House paced around his office for over half the morning wondering what was taking Cuddy so long to deliver the news, whatever it was. He'd sent his team off to scour the hospital for possible interesting cases and surfed the internet for porn, only to find himself so distracted that he couldn't even enjoy it. He had to know the truth…he wanted Cuddy to walk in and tell him that he was going to be a father. Unfortunately for him, that had yet to happen and it was nearly lunchtime.

Foreman walked in briskly and handed him a file. "Eighteen year old male suffering from stomach cramps, blurred vision and a rectal bleed," Foreman briefed.

"Do the usual tests, but it's probably just a bad case of food poisoning…come get me if you find anything really interesting," House advised.

"You might want to look at his chart, House, he's been on feeding tubes for the last two months because of acute pancreatitis."

"How did he get the pancreatitis?"

"Car crash."

"Well it just looks like pancreatitis, doesn't it?"

"I don't know…he says it's not like his normal symptoms."

"Well check him out…I'm a little preoccupied!" House yelled.

Foreman backed out of the room, annoyed with his boss. House didn't really care, however, as he had bigger things to worry about than new pancreatitis symptoms. He gave in after a few more minutes and made his way down to Wilson's office to make a lunch offer. "She hasn't talked to you today, has she?" he asked his friend.

"No. I haven't seen her," Wilson lied.

House sighed. Lunch was rather more quiet than usual and Wilson felt the guilt of keeping his promise to Cuddy. "Why the hell hasn't she at least called?" House demanded, crunching unnecessarily hard on a bite of taco.

"I don't know," Wilson said, not meeting House's eyes as he wiped taco sauce off his tie. "I'm sure she'll let you know soon."

"I'm going to see her after lunch," House informed him. Wilson could only watch, as he didn't want to put himself more in the middle of the argument than he already was. He followed House out of the cafeteria ten minutes later with a few more taco stains and a burden on his shoulders.

House walked determinedly into Cuddy's office. He had to know the truth, whether it hurt or not. She was on the phone when the men entered and held up a hand to indicate that they should wait. Wilson guiltily shifted his weight as she finished her call, but House's piercing gaze never left her face. He was ready to pounce as soon as she hung up the phone. "Any news yet?" he asked her.

She looked into his blue eyes and then back at Wilson, before opening her mouth. "I got the results back, if that's what you mean."

"And?"

"And…it's…not your responsibility, House." She hung her head. House turned on his heel and rushed past Wilson, his hand on the doorknob when the oncologist let out a strangled noise. House turned to question him at the same time that Cuddy's eyes lifted to his face.

"What the hell do you mean, it's not his responsibility?" Wilson demanded.

Cuddy's mouth hung open in shock as House's gaze shifted to her. "I…I…You said you'd let me handle this…"

"I meant that I'd let you handle telling him that it's his baby, Cuddy!" Wilson stormed. "You can't just let him leave thinking it's Lucas's!"

"I didn't say it was…I just didn't want to put pressure on him," she said weakly.

"The hell you didn't!" House yelled. "It's my baby, Cuddy. Why would I reject it?"

"Because you always do. If you love someone you push them away!" she said, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't want…"

"Didn't want what?" Wilson asked.

"DIDN'T WANT WHAT?!?!" House demanded.

"I didn't want him to feel the rejection I felt, ok? I want him to be loved." Cuddy completely broke down, sobbing loudly.

Wilson and House exchanged a long look, then Wilson inclined his head in Cuddy's direction. House reluctantly stepped forward and put a hand on her arm. "I'm not going to reject him…is it a him?"

Cuddy sniffled for a while longer as House suffered through her weeping. "I don't know."

"Christ, Cuddy, pull it together. I wanted it to be mine!"

She looked at him wide eyed as Wilson inwardly cheered. "You did?"

"Yeah…" he said, a bit reluctantly. "I just didn't want to get my hopes up…I didn't think you'd want me around."

"What was I supposed to think you'd do?" she asked softly.

"I don't know…sorry. I just…well, I want to…he's my kid." He swallowed hard. "I'll be damned if I'm not in his life."

Cuddy smiled a watery smile up at the father of her child. "Well I'm glad that's over," Wilson said, coming around the desk to hug Cuddy.

"You kept a secret from me?" House demanded of him.

"And I can't believe you told him!" Cuddy added.

"Look. I'm not going to let you two ruin what you could have," he said sternly. "I'll be damned if this is going to fall apart, so you'd better get used to my being meddling." House rolled his eyes and Cuddy grinned at Wilson, but they were all glad the tension had finally broken.


	9. Maddening Reality

Maddening Reality

Cuddy was nearly five months pregnant and happier than she could have ever hoped to have been. House was attentive and even more anxious about becoming a father than she was about giving birth for the first time. Lucas had been informed of the paternity of the baby and thankfully had left her be, and although she wasn't even close to dating House, she was starting to share a comfortable relationship with him that she could easily get used to.

~HUDDY~

House didn't want to seem overbearing, but he was completely thrilled that Cuddy was letting him be so involved with their child. Of course he had backed off his sexual advances toward her, as he didn't want to make her think that he just wanted her for what she could physically give him. His plan was to slowly charm her into loving him the way he knew that he had grown to love her over the years. He made fairly frequent visits to her house to spend time helping Cuddy prepare Rachel's room for the arrival of another child and he was even coming to like the two year old that Cuddy had adopted as her own child.

~HUDDY~

Wilson couldn't have been more pleased that House and Cuddy seemed to be falling into a relationship. They had yet to start dating or exchange more than friendly advances, but he knew that this child would bring them together. It would be a hell of a kid, he reasoned, since it was doing things to those connected to it even before being born. Wilson sat back and watched as the confirmed House baby boy grew inside of Cuddy as Cuddy grew toward House.

~HUDDY~

"So what's the plan for tonight?" House asked the mother of his unborn child casually. They were finished preparing the nursery, but he wasn't about to let her go back to being uneasy with him quite that easily. Cuddy looked up from her work and smiled at the diagnostician.

"I dunno. We're done with most of the baby prep we need to get done for a while. I kind of figured that you'd like a night off," she told him.

"A night off what?"

"Oh…" She blushed a bit. "Off helping me, I guess. I suppose I thought you and Wilson would want to get a few beers and watch a monster truck rally or whatever you two do."

"Wilson's got a date tonight," House informed her. "Some blonde in accounting…I…well do you want to get some dinner?"

Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' and she sat there a bit stunned for a moment. This was the first time he had suggested doing something together that didn't involve their child directly. She shook herself out of her reverie, however when he started looking a bit uncomfortable and clearing his throat. "Oh, yeah. That would be great. What do you want to get?"

House shrugged. "Whatever you want."

She nodded. "Alright. Well, Rachel is at my sister's house tonight…I had just planned on taking a bath and reading so we can either go out or I could cook something."

"I don't want to ruin you relaxing evening," he said. "We'll do Greek if that catches your fancy. New place downtown."

"Sounds great, House."

He inclined his head. "I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Okay." He gave her one last look before turning around and leaving her office. She sat back in her chair and let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "I'm actually going on a date with House," she said aloud to herself as the realization struck her. Excitement was coursing through her veins and she felt the urge to let out a whoop, but contained herself. She settled for dialing Wilson's extension and giving him the good news.

"That's great!" he said enthusiastically. "I'll call you back, " he added as House entered his office.

"I'm taking Cuddy to dinner," House told him as he made himself comfortable in the chair in front of Wilson's desk.

"I know," the oncologist said with a grin.

"She's excited, then?"

"Definitely. Where are you taking her?"

"The new Greek place," House told him, pleased that Cuddy had called Wilson to inform him of her happiness, but hiding it well.

"Fancy…you going to dress up?"

"I guess I'll have to."

Wilson smirked. "You seem to be getting pretty cozy."

"Yeah…I like this having a baby deal. The kid's really working for his old man already!" House declared with a grin.

Wilson laughed. "Looks like things are heating up."

"I sure as hell hope so," House replied, propping his feet up on Wilsons's desk. "Think I should get her flowers?"

"I think she'd like that."


	10. Difference Between Mad and Pissed

**A/N: it's been far too long since I've updated. Sorry with holiday traveling and such I've been distracted. I hope you'll all keep reading, though! Here's chapter 10!!!**

Consequences of Madness

Ch. 10- Difference Between Pissed and Mad

House was glad things seemed to be working out so well between himself and Cuddy. He had been exceptionally thrilled when they had started going out on social dates a few months ago. The evening had gone more perfectly than House could have imagined in his wildest dreams and he hadn't even minded when Wilson teased him about the night and how he was going to end up 'sitting in a tree' with Cuddy. He burst out laughing when Wilson sang the bit about a baby carriage.

The expectant couple were sitting in front of the television at Cuddy's official seven month anniversary of being pregnant when she suddenly turned to him and asked a question that unnerved him. "What do you want to name our son?" she questioned, searching his face.

"What?" He swallowed hard. "What would you like to name him?"

"I was thinking about Michael," she admitted, blushing a bit. "It's your middle name, right?"

"Yea, but I dunno why you'd want to put him into the category of people dedicated to another person by name," he told her. "That's the kind of narcissism that makes me hate the idea of people procreating."

Cuddy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I just think a person should be allowed to be a person. If they've got someone else's name tacked on to them, they'll inevitably be forced to live up to the expectations that come with being associated with that person."

"That's crazy, people don't name babies hoping that their name will make them more like someone they're named after."

"Oh no?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "How is it people hope naming their child 'Grace' will make them graceful? Mother wants a dancer so the baby gets a name reflecting that ideal."

"I just wanted something sort of traditional, House," Cuddy told him, trying unsuccessfully to hide the hurt in her eyes. "It's not like I'm naming him Greg Junior or anything like that."

"You might as well be. He'll be misanthropic and turn out hating me," he predicted, ignoring the pain she couldn't hide.

"How do you know he'll hate you?" she wanted to know.

"Because kids always do hate what they're expected to become."

"I was expected to become a nurse and I don't hate nurses," she told him.

"Well you're the Dean of Medicine at a hospital," he pointed out none too gently. "It would be stupid of you to hate nurses. You depend on them to do their job so your job is easier."

"What's your problem?"

"Stupid people are my problem!" he blurted out and Cuddy's heart dropped. She stood up and was halfway to the bedroom before he realized what he had said. He jumped up and hobbled toward her hoping that she would turn around at his pleadings, but it wasn't until she reached the bedroom door that she paused.

The tears on her face stunned House, but her words were even more powerful a scene. "You might think you're perfect, House, but it's not true. Quite frankly it's the opposite. Your brain might be full to bursting with intelligence, but the snark never changes. You're alone again, thanks to that great rationalization skill of yours!" With that she slammed the door in his face, topping the sundae of surprise for him.

"Please come back out!" he urged her. "I'm stupid, I know that. I'm sorry, Cuddy. I didn't mean to hurt you…you're not stupid…I really…it's, dammit! I was named after my idiot father and that didn't work out so well. I don't want our kid to experience the same thing…CUDDY???? Lisa?" Sank to the floor near her door, feeling the pain of rejection once again and knowing it was all his fault.

A few minutes later, as he was about to get up and collect his things, the door opened slowly. Cuddy's eyes were red and her face was blotchy, but House couldn't have been happier to see her when she whispered an apology to him. She pulled him to his feet and he kissed her tenderly, hoping to erase her pain with his lips.

After a while, however, their kissing turned into something much more passionate and sexually charged and she led him into her bedroom. The two of them hadn't been together physically since the baby's conception, but that night they made love and it was so powerful that House fully realized his feelings for Cuddy. Not only was he in love with her, he was devoted to her beyond expression. As he held her in his arms he promised himself that he would tell her about his feelings soon.


	11. Madly in Love

Madly In Love

House was pulled from sleep to the sensation of pressure on his erect cock and opened his bleary eyes to find the woman he loved greedily sucking his stiff member. He suppressed a moan as the reality of what she was doing sank in and allowed himself to become lost in the sensations she was eliciting. He watched her work him with her mouth, the sight more than a little arousing, and after a moment he couldn't help himself. He tangled his fingers in her mussed hair and guided her into firmer motions. As he was encased in her hot mouth time and time again, he couldn't think and let a stream of expletives roll off his tongue. He tightened his grip on her and bucked his hips upward as he came down her throat, screaming out her name.

House settled back against his pillow as the waves of feeling rocked his senses. He didn't even feel Cuddy slide up his body to settle on his chest until his breathing resumed normalcy. Her gray eyes looked up at him and he nearly melted. "You are so amazing," he told her honestly. "I love you."

Her eyes went wide as she processed what he had just said and though he felt the urge to clam up he forced himself to stay calm and look into her eyes. "I've been in love with you for years, House," she told him after a moment. "Thank you…"

House wrapped his arms more tightly around her and kissed her with all the feeling he could muster. As he lay entwined with her he realized that he was a lucky bastard and vowed to make her life a little easier from that point on. "Do you think the boss would fire me if I was late to work today?" he asked teasingly.

"I don't know…you might have to sweet talk your way out of a suspension," she replied, a glint in her eye. "Why on earth would you want to miss work? I know you love it, House."

"I love you more," he said gruffly. "And I think you deserve some payback for the treat you presented me this morning."

"Oh…well if you put it that way…you might just have to give this treatment to the boss as well…"

"Anything to make you happy," he said, dislodging himself from her and getting to his feet. "I suggest you meet me in the shower in a few moments…"

"I think I can do that," Cuddy told him with a grin. "But you'll probably have to bribe the boss for me too."

House snorted and walked, completely naked into the bathroom. Cuddy joined him a few minutes later, also completely naked, her baby bump making her look even sexier in House's eyes. He led her under the hot spray of the shower and pressed her against the wall before settling on the edge of the tub and spreading her legs for his perusal. "This is going to be fun," he muttered, before burying his face in her slick folds.

It was nearly eleven o'clock when House and Cuddy made it into the hospital and they were both completely sated by that time. He had finished her off, and then made love with her on their bed before allowing her to put on any clothes in preparation for the day. He was reluctant to let her go into her office alone, but decided that he had better give his team something to do or they would badger him for the rest of the day about where he had been.

After lunch, House made his way down to the clinic and was reading a comic book in exam room two while his patient looked rather boredly out the window when a loud 'thump' followed by a scream met his ears. He and the patient both started and House dropped the comic book as he got to his feet. "What the hell was that?" the young man asked. He was only in to get a doctor's note for classes, and House didn't see any point in examining him.

"I'm looking into it," he replied, swinging the door open. There were medical staff crowded around a woman who was apparently in the floor and two security guards pinning an angry looking man in a business suit to the wall. "What's the problem?" he asked, moving toward the woman, whose face he had yet to see. A young nurse moved out of the way and he caught a glimpse of dark hair.

House pushed people aside and found his worst fear staring him in the face. Cuddy was gasping for breath and surrounded by a pool of blood. She had suffered a gunshot to the abdomen and was losing a lot of blood. "Call a surgeon!" House roared, pushing toward the man that was being detained. "What the fuck did you do?!?"

"She wasn't taking his complaints seriously enough for his liking," a security guard told him as he tightened his grip on the assailant. "He got out of hand and we came in just as he pulled the gun."

House did something then that he had never done before. He reared back his cane with a two handed grip and hit the business man across the face with it. "I'll fucking kill you!" he yelled. The surgical team arrived and Chase tackled House before he could do any more damage, giving the security guards time to get the shooter out of House's sight. "Where is she?" he asked, not bothering to care about his own pain from falling on his right leg.

"They've taken her to surgery, House," Chase informed him. "You'll probably have to file a statement."

"Fuck that. I'm going with her," House replied fighting to stand. Chase helped him to his feet and they followed the rush of medical personnel that had rushed Cuddy into surgery.


	12. A Revival of Madness

A Revival of Madness

House struggled to keep himself composed as he watched the surgery being performed on Cuddy and his unborn child. Wilson had appeared at his side less than five minutes after he had arrived, fully briefed on the situation at hand. Chase left them alone to inform the team of the happenings and House allowed himself to be vulnerable with Wilson. "I can't lose her," he whispered so Wilson almost missed it.

"You don't have to worry about that, House," Wilson assured him. "She's going to come through this fine. And the baby will be too."

"If either of them suffers…it will never be the same, for anyone."

"It's not going to be the same no matter what happens now," Wilson replied. "But you're going to have to deal with it…and you can. You've dealt with tough situations before."

"I love her, Wilson. And I love that baby."

The oncologist nodded, watching his friend swallow back the tears that he knew to be just under the surface. "The son of a bitch that did this is going to have a hard time…"

"I want to kill that fucker!"

"I know. I want to kill him for you, but we'll have to see what happens. I called the P.D. and they said they'd keep us informed. They aren't technically supposed to do that, but I've got an ex who's on the force."

House snorted halfheartedly. "Got a broad in every major place of business around to keep on the fly, have you?"

"You could say that," Wilson replied, daring to give a small smile. "Let's go get some coffee…you don't need to sit through this entire surgery."

"I do need this. You know I need this."

"But It's not good for you."

"Fuck what's good for me. I'll do what's good for them."

Alarms started going off and the surgical team moved quickly around Cuddy as one sprinted from the room. House couldn't hear what was going on but his heart sank. He slammed against the button on the wall and demanded information. When they ignored him he made to leave the observation area, but was stopped as a nurse entered. "Doctor House, Doctor Cuddy is bleeding into her uterus. We need to do an emergency C-section to save the baby."

"How bad is she bleeding?" he demanded.

"It's not good, but we can stop it fairly quickly. We need you to ok the C-section, though."

House hesitated, knowing that if Cuddy was already losing blood, an additional surgery on top of it would be bad for her. Wilson stepped in front of him. "Do it," he commanded.

"But…" the nurse started.

"I'm her medical proxy. Do it."

"Doctor House is the father of the baby."

"Don't just stand around," House yelled. "He made a decision…fucking do it!" The nurse left without a word and House looked pleadingly at Wilson.

"She'll be fine," Wilson stated, leading House to a chair in front of the window. As soon as the nurse returned to the operation room the surgery started and within minutes a baby boy was birthed six weeks premature. House held his breath until the faint trace of the baby's movement could be detected, and then he returned his attention to Cuddy.

~HUDDY~

Four hours after she had been shot in the clinic, Cuddy was out of surgery. The surgeons had repaired her fairly well and though she had started to bleed out, things had been patched up, but she still hadn't awakened. House had made sure the baby was ok once before sitting by Cuddy's bed in the recovery room. The child was under a lamp, but otherwise in good condition, the bullet having missed him, barely. By nightfall, the diagnostician was beginning to wonder if Cuddy was ever going to wake up.

Wilson visited and brought him coffee so he could stay awake should she emerge, but he merely sipped the caffeinated liquid. The oncologist stayed until 10, then told House that he would get some things from Cuddy's home so House could stay at the hospital and Cuddy would be more comfortable when she awakened. House simply nodded at this, acknowledging that he had indeed heard Wilson's offer.

The clock ticked by slowly and House was going mad with worry, not glancing away from the woman he loved for more than a minute, desperately hoping that her eyelids would flutter with the intent to open, but the longer he waited, the heavier her breathing it seemed. He refused to sleep and by the morning light looked as though he had aged five years. Cuddy hadn't even stirred and he was beginning to wonder if she would ever wake. Wilson brought him more coffee and food that he ignored in favor of attempting to force her to open her eyes with his sheer will and Wilson left him alone.

Hours dragged on and House was utterly exhausted, but he never left Cuddy's side, refusing to even leave to pee, opting instead to use the basin in the room she had been moved to. He grilled every nurse that came into the room until they stopped coming regularly, then he snarked at them through the calling device about neglecting the Dean of Medicine. As it neared the one day mark since the shooting, he was barely staying awake, propped in a chair and looking through bloodshot eyes at Cuddy's still form.

For a moment as she stirred, he thought that he was hallucinating from a lack of sleep, but he forced himself awake again and focused on her breathing, which became shallower and his heart jumped in his chest. It took nearly half an hour for her to open her eyes after that first shallow stirring breath, but he never took his eyes off of her and was studying her face when her lashes lifted. "House," she breathed.

He let out a relieved half sigh, half laugh and cleared his throat quickly before speaking. "I love you Lisa Cuddy."

"I love you too." She looked at the room around her, taking in some of the familiar accents from her home as well as the equally familiar harsher ones from the hospital. She was covered in the quilt from the back of her couch and a photograph of Rachel sat on her night stand as well as dozens of bouquets of flowers. She moved a bit and realized something was wrong, however. "Where's my baby?" she asked, more frightened than House had ever seen her. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her from sitting up and she looked at him questioningly.

"You were bleeding into your uterus so they had to take him early. You also had a hysterectomy…sorry, but no more babies."

"But where is he?" she wanted to know.

"In the infant ward. He's fine."

Her eyes lit up. "I want to see him." House nodded and called the nurse. Wilson entered with the blonde girl.

"Bring the baby to his mother," House instructed the girl. "And if you don't mind, ask Cuddy's sister to bring Rachel over here as well," he added to Wilson. When he looked back at Cuddy she had tears shining in her eyes.

"Did you name him?" she asked.

"How does Michael Evan House sound?" he asked, trying to seem stronger than he was at that moment.

"Beautiful," she replied.


	13. The Results of Madness

Ch 13: The Product of Madness

Cuddy looked down at the tiny boy in her arms and couldn't remember ever being happier. House was at her side with Rachel on his lap and Wilson was getting pictures of the new family. Of course she and House weren't married, but she knew he was as committed to her as a married man would be. She couldn't stop grinning and was sure that she would look completely crazy happy in her photos, but she didn't care. Wilson took photo after photo and finally she was left alone with her children and the man she loved.

"That was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me," House admitted gruffly after several moments of silence.

"I have to say the same thing…except for when you got shot."

"I'm tough…and wasn't pregnant," he pointed out.

"Really?" She didn't tease him too much, though as she knew it was hard for him to talk about what he was feeling.

"Look, I don't have a ring, but I want you to marry me, Cuddy. You're going to need some kind of protection."

"You only want to marry me to protect me?" she asked, a bit miffed.

"No…I want to marry you, though."

"Fine. I'll marry you, but you'd better not gloat about it," she said, knowing full well that he would. He only responded by kissing her hand.

THE END


End file.
